Tall Tales
by triggerspec
Summary: A short tale about back in the day when rouge ninja were just bad guys that the grown ups dealt with. A story about 3 friends with very different paths. Can they still be friends when all is said in done? Is forgiveness as easy as they say...?
1. Chapter 1

**Anime: Naruto**  
><strong>Pairing: ? X OC<strong>  
><strong>Summary: A short tale about back in the day when rouge ninja were just bad guys that the grown ups dealt with. A story about 3 friends with very different paths they must lead. Can they still be friends when all is said in done? Is forgiveness as easy as they say when the one person you love runs away with your heart<strong>**.****(No Sakura)**  
><strong>Author: Triggerspec<strong>  
><strong>OC: Kin Sasaki<strong>  
><strong>Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto or the characters. I also cannot take credit for the similarities to the plot. All credit goes to Masashi Kishimoto<strong>**. (I only take credit for Kin Sasaki)  
><em>Italics = narrations<br>_A/N: This is going to be a little shorter than some of my work, it will also have a sequel at the end which is being worked on as you read.I might have Sakura in the sequel, I'm still deciding. I love this story and wanted to put as much emotion as I could hoping by the end I could make someone cry. I think it is a very touching story, even with only half the ending. So read on and let your imagination guide you.**

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><p><em>It was a sunny day but still the air was chilled. All in all, it was more than a normal day in the walls of Konohagakure. Even if normal wasn't all that 'normal' in the sunny village.<em>

Sasuke stood on the side-lines, observing his comrades.

"Every time you speak I can feel a brain cell diiie!"

"Ki-chan, how could you say something like that?"

"Easily! I open my mouth and speak! Something _you_ shouldn't be allowed to do!"

"You're a horrible person, dattebayo! You're the one who shouldn't be allowed to speak!"

The two blonds glared at one another. Flames were erupting from their eyes and sparks flew from their ego's meshing. Bright blue met bright orange.

"_Oooh_, good one baaaka!"

"Would you two give it a rest already?"

Sasuke scuffed as his patience with his two comrades became quite thin.

"Shut up, Sasuke!"

The two turned to scold the Uchiha. The boy just blinked, astonished as the two moved in sync. He let out a sigh and rolled his eyes, covering up the bewilderment he felt and walked away. Without a skip of a beat, the two dis-regarded the interruption and went back to clawing at each others throats. Even from yards away, their voices travelled over the wind.

"Stop copying me Naruto!"

"I didn't, dattebayo!"

"I can't believe how infuriating you are!"

"Yeah, well I can't believe how..., how stupid you are!"

Kin's face scrunched in disgusted, disbelief at Naruto's comeback.

"Urgh! I can't believe yo-," the girl's face went red as a obscene sound gurgled from her stomach, "Tssh!"

Naruto began to laugh out loud in the obnoxious way he always did. Sasuke watched, astonished from afar at the events uncurling before his Sharingan eyes.

She shoved Naruto, "Shut up Naru-kun!" she scolded, more than embarrassed at the interruption.

"Haha! You're too funny, Ki-chan! Let's get some Ichiraku, my treat, dattebayo!"

The girl's face went from pouting and upset to an ear-to-ear grin.

"Hells yeah!"

Kin cheered and the two blonds gave each other a high-five and wrapped their arm's around each others shoulders. The two marched off singing so off-key it made flower's wilt. Sasuke's mouth hung open. In a matter of seconds, the two went from wanting to rip each others heads off to being best of friends. Behind the disgust at such obnoxious beings, hid a tiny voice that screamed out in jealousy. Behind bitter coal eyes burned a longing that craved to burst into flames. He was yanked out of his thoughts from a very loud voice.

"SASUKE-KUN! C'mon! We're going for raamen!"

He shrugged his shoulders as he made his way to the blonds. He was pretty hungry anyways.

_Yep, just another day in Konoha. The children played and we set out on our missions, unsure of what life could bring us at any second. Those were the moments when things became just a little more clear._

"Naruto-kun, watch out!"

The boy turned around to see the enemy lunge down at him with a kunai ready to cut. It was too late and there was no time for him to react. The shock had him frozen in place as he watched in slow motion the events occurred.

"Dammit!"

Kin didn't stop to think as she pushed herself from the crouched position. With all the chakra she could summon in her frenzied state, she pushed herself into the frozen boy. As she tackled Naruto out of the way, she received the enemy's weapon in her thigh. She let out a yelp as the pain crawled up and down her body.

"Kin!"

Sasuke hollered as he witnessed the injury of his comrade. Without hesitation, he quickly twirled his leg around, knocking out his opponent. Like second nature he pushed himself to the pair of blonds, just a short ways from where he fought. He quickly pulled out another kunai and tackled his comrades attacker. The man was caught off guard and as they landed the Uchiha made a final strike taking out another enemy.

"Naru-kun, are you okay?"

"Are you kidding me? Ki-chan, you're injured!"

The girl tried to laugh it off but when she tried to stand her leg gave out. Blood began to pool as she collapsed to the ground. Kin let out a sobbing cry as the pain became more agonizing. Naruto dropped to his knees quickly taking off his jacket and using the black shirt underneath to wrap her leg. Sasuke stood watching the two with a bitter look in his eyes. Naruto's hands wrapped around her as he tightened the temporary bandage. His eyes glanced at Kin's face as she watched Naruto. Her eyes were red and coated with tears. It was easy to see she focused more on trying not to cry rather than the pain in her leg. After putting his jacket over his bare torso, Naruto wrapped his around the girl and helped her stand once again. Their mouths moved but Sasuke couldn't hear the sound. His eyes were glued on Kin's blood on the ground.

"Sasuke!"

He flinched as he looked up at the speaker.

"C'mon and help me would ya! We have to take Ki-chan to the hospital, dattebayo."

Sasuke nodded and took the other half of the girl's weight.  
>On their second break, as the three made their way back to Konaha, Kin began to tear apart with guilt. In her mind she was stupid for getting herself injured like this, there were dozens of ways she could have dealt with that situation. Naruto left to take a whizz and Kin looked over at Sasuke. His dark eyes seemed troubled as he stared at the ground in front of him.<p>

"Are you okay, Sasuke-kun?"

His reply was an arrogant grunt as he didn't even bother to look her in the eyes. The girl frowned as the Uchiha's mood seemed to worsen with her question.

"I'm sorry Sasuke-kun, it's not my place to ask such stupid questions."

His gaze shifted to the girl, the difference in personality astounded him. He craved for her to act normal towards him. He wanted to have a friendship that wasn't so formal, that let him step out of his normal boundaries. The two had so much in common, that neither of them could see it. Naruto watched them from the tree-line he peed over. He took a deep breath and wandered out with a large grin on his face. The moment he walked out Kin lit up like a Christmas tree with a smile that mimicked his own.

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><p><strong>P.S -sigh-I'm finally able to upload my story! I know it's short, but I think it's sweet. I'm excited to get this one going! :) It's a little different from what I'm used to. XD But, that's all for now.<br>BAI-BAI~!  
><strong>


	2. Chapter 2

**Anime: Naruto**  
><strong>Pairing: ? X OC<strong>  
><strong>Summary: A short tale about back in the day when rouge ninja were just bad guys that the grown ups dealt with. A story about 3 friends with very different paths they must lead. Can they still be friends when all is said in done? Is forgiveness as easy as they say when the one person you love runs away with your heart<strong>**.****(No Sakura)**  
><strong>Author: Triggerspec<strong>  
><strong>OC: Kin Sasaki<strong>  
><strong>Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto or the characters. I also cannot take credit for the similarities to the plot. All credit goes to Masashi Kishimoto<strong>**. (I only take credit for Kin Sasaki)  
><em>Italics = narrations &amp; thoughts (though it's easy to tell the difference)<em>**

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><p><em>For being ninja, most of us were pretty decent, laid-back kind of people. It wasn't very often that the people in Konoha wouldn't stop and smell the roses or take a scenic route on our road of life. Hell, it was some of the people's greatest hobbies.<em>

Three Genin sat in the shade of a tree. Two hours ago, they were supposed to have left for a mission. Two hours have passed since they began to wait for their Team Captain.

"Is he here yet?"

"No."

"Is he here yet?"

"No.."

"Is he here yet?"

"No..."

"How about now?"

Naruto looked left than right, "Nope."

Kin let out a sigh as she let herself slide farther down the trunk of the tree. She looked over at Sasuke who sat there so calmly, his eyes shut, his back straight.

"Sasuke-kun, how can you sit there so..., so, quiet like?"

"Easily, by not having the attention span of a guppy."

After a couple seconds passed by silently, Sasuke dared to take a glance at the girl sitting beside him. All he could do was blink in a dumbfounded manor. _What the... _What he saw was flat out bizarre. Both, Naruto and Kin stood in front of one another with their cheeks sucked in, lips pushing out and hands by their face, flapping. They made strange sucking noises as they wiggled their own lips. As messed up as they looked, it was clear they took Sasuke's guppy comments a little too far.

Kakashi appeared at what he figured was a very bad time. He stared blankly at his students as they waltzed around acting like fish.

"I guess I'm not the only one who was lost on the path of life."

The two blonds looked over at their captain before they both fell to the ground laughing uncontrollably.

"Welcome Kakashi-sensei, to the field of the guppy!"

Kin cheerfully greeted Kakashi when she could catch her breath.

"It's about time you got here Kakashi-sensei! We've been waiting for _HOURS_!" Naruto complained.

"I'm sorry. Shall we go then?"

"Alright!"

The three took their time, as their mission really wasn't all that important. All they had to do was go to the Land of Demons and find the missing baggage. Really, they weren't too sure why they bothered to accept the mission. Though it probably had to do with the fact that about a day ago all three men worried for their lives when they tried to deny it. Apparently, it has been Kin's dream to go to the Land of Demons and have her future told by the priestess that lived there. The boy's didn't seem to be all that down about it now that they were on their way, hell Naruto would make any mission a huge adventure no matter how small. Just this mourning he had caused his whole apartment building to second thought moving from the building just by looking for his boxers.

"I can't believe I'm actually going to the Land of Demons! This is truly amazing!"

"I don't see why you would want to know how you're going to die! That's friggen crazy, dattebayo!"

"But, if I know how I'm going to die, I can watch my surroundings and therefore have a higher chance of not dying."

"I'm all for changing your destiny and that, but cheating death like that..., I don't know Ki-chan, it sounds a little dangerous."

Kin let herself fall back to walk beside the quiet raven-haired boy.

"What do you think Sasuke-kun?"

"It doesn't concern me. No matter what happens I refuse to die until I get my revenge."

Kin slowed down as her blond hair shifted in front of her eyes and her lips pulled down into a frown. She was against everything that Sasuke believed in, and every time he mentioned it, it would cause a sharp pain in her heart. As much as she was against it, she refused to try and stop him for the sake of her beliefs. All she could hope for was for him to maybe find a reason in life to change his path. But, until than...

"What about you, Kakashi-sensei?"

The older man gazed down at the small blond who forced the smile back onto her face. He respected that aspect of her, the part where no matter what, she would always end up smiling.

"I don't know Kin. I wouldn't want to know how I'm going to die. I'd prefer to just live and let myself run course."

Kin nodded her head as she listened to the older man, "Very insightful Kakashi-sensei, very insightful indeed."

"So does that mean you don't want to visit the priestess anymore?" Naruto cheered, hoping the girl had changed her mind.

It wasn't the fact that the whole future telling freaked him out, it was being able to hear when Kin was going to die. Though deep inside he would do anything to save her, a small voice over powered it screaming "_What if I fail?_".

"Ha! No, I was just listening to his opinion. I'm still completely stoked!

_Though it's true, some of us had a slightly..., different preference for the flowers we stopped to smell or the sights we stopped to see. Sometimes, the decisions some of us made were just downright outrageous, but in the end, we continued to grow and so did our bonds._

Naruto looked around frantically, trying to find an excuse or pathway to leave so he didn't have to hear what would soon come to his innocent ears. For some strange reason, Kin forced all three males to stay with her as she questioned the young priestess.

"Please, I have heard of your predictions and the undeniable truth in them. I beg of you to tell me..., tell me my future, and what death finds me at the end of my path!"

Kin's comrades were blown away at the depth of her words. The way she spoke sounded as if she came out of a fairy tale or a book of poetry. To be honest, it frightened the youngest boys of the group. Naruto ran in place as Kin held him by the collar while Sasuke just stood, his eyes closed, unsure whether he wanted to be here or not. He even questioned whether to ask the priestess himself. The young girl stared down at the blond with a curious and arrogant gaze. Her pale lavender eyes had a very stern, cold look glazed over them. She appreciated how Kin's gaze never faltered or how her posture was strong and stern. What pleased the priestess the most was the girl's courage to hear the truth.

"Fine, as you wish."

The girl stared at Kin as her lavender eyes changed into a bright purple with a technical, geometric pattern. Kin's mouth made an 'O' shape as she stared in amazement. It only took less than a minute before her eyes turned back into their original colour and the priestess seemed to be back to her original state.

"I will only ask you this once more, Sasaki-san, do you still wish to learn of your death?"

"No! C'mon Ki-chan. You'll just be messing with something we don't know!"

Kin looked over at the pleading blond with stern eyes. She wouldn't let him stop her, this is what she wanted. She had no other goal's in her life, with this, it gave her something to train for, to fight for and against.

"Yes."

Naruto cringed as he pulled himself into a foetal position covering his ears. Even though he didn't want to hear it, his hands didn't push hard enough down to block out the sound. Sasuke just opened his eyes, as he watched Kin's reaction with a curious gaze.

"Though, your death seems hazy. It seems you will die in battle. Your heart will be full of sadness, hatred and anger. You're death will be brought to you by somebody who is very dear to you."

Kin's face never changed, her eyes just dropped to the ground as she thought over what the girl has just said to her.

"Wait, hazy? What do you mean?"

"I can't explain it clearly, but I think your death will come by the decision of someone standing right here. I cannot see it clearly because it is depending on what they do in the future. Not only you, but they will determine whether you will die how I see or not."

Both boys flinched at the priestess's words.

"What? What do you mean one of us will determine her death! What are you talking about?"

Naruto had lost it. Kakashi set a hand on his shoulder, trying to calm him down slightly.

"I can't say much more, other than she is going to die by one of your hands."

Naruto's face went pale and his body went limp. He continued to stand, mainly from the support of Kakashi's hand. Kin just bowed and smiled at the priestess.

"Thank you, Shion-sama!."

Kin's smile was nothing but genuine, which made the young priestess smile herself. She turned and help guide Naruto from the shrine with Kakashi. Sasuke stood, looking at the priestess for many seconds. Deep down he worried about her words. Between him and Naruto, he believed he was the only one capable of killing her. From that moment on, a fear began to tear inside of him as he began to realize what he truly felt towards the girl. She was a little more than just a comrade in his eyes, he knew that now. But the question is, what will happen because of it?


	3. Chapter 3

**Anime: Naruto**  
><strong>Pairing: ? X OC<strong>  
><strong>Summary: A short tale about back in the day when rouge ninja were just bad guys that the grown ups dealt with. A story about 3 friends with very different paths they must lead. Can they still be friends when all is said in done? Is forgiveness as easy as they say when the one person you love runs away with your heart<strong>**.****(No Sakura)**  
><strong>Author: Triggerspec<strong>  
><strong>OC: Kin Sasaki<strong>  
><strong>Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto or the characters. I also cannot take credit for the similarities to the plot. All credit goes to Masashi Kishimoto<strong>**. (I only take credit for Kin Sasaki)  
><em>Italics = narrations<em>**

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><p><em>It wasn't much longer before things made their way back to order. The bird's continued to sing and the ninja continued to fight. Some of us were better at it, than others but we knew, that no matter what, life will continue and that's when we need to fight the hardest.<em>

_What am I supposed to do now?_ Were Kin's thoughts as she strolled leisurely down the streets of Konohagakure. The day was still young so Kin searched for entertainment. It was rare that she ventured far from her comrades but every so often they would get paired off with a different group. It wasn't so bad, it gave them time to get familiar with their former growing classmates.

"Why couldn't the Third give me a mission too? It's just not fair!"

She pouted as she kicked a pebble of of the street.

"Kin-san? Why so glum?"

The girl jumped at the sudden sound of her name and turned to see a tall, tan man smiling at her.

"Asuma-sensei! What are you doing here?"

He looked around, looking kinda confused, "Well, I kinda live here." he replied slyly.

Kin narrowed her eyes accepting her defeat before she put on a small smile. Asuma let out a hearty chuckle.

"So, where are your partners in crime?" he questioned.

The reminder that her team were all out on missions except for her caused her to frown and sigh.

"They all got called out on missions, so I have nothing to do until they return."

"I see, well I'm just on my way to play some Shogi with Shikamaru. Care to join me?"

Kin's face lit up like a firecracker as she nodded her head.

The two reached their destination of the Nara residence. Shikamaru was already outside, but quite noticeably sleeping. His body limped back against the wall of the house. Beside him sat the shogi board and another pillow. Asuma walked up and let himself drop onto the deck. The loud noise shocked Shikamaru straight out of slumber. Kin couldn't help but chuckle at the face he made.

"Tsh, you're picking up habits from Kakashi, Asuma-sensei."

Asuma just chuckled at his student, "Yeah, yeah. I decided to bring Kin-san along as well."

With the mentioning of the girl's name brought the attention that the small blond was standing a short space away from them. Shikamaru let out an annoyed breath.

"Why bring that troublesome girl along?"

Asuma threw a Shogi piece at the scowling boy with a disappointed glare.

"Don't be so rude! You're supposed to treat a lady with respect."

Kin just giggled as she took a seat beside the board.

"Don't worry Asuma-sensei, I don't take any offence. Me and Shikamaru have always had different outlooks in life."

It was a couple of hours later and Shikamaru glanced over at Kin, noticing how unbelievably quiet she was. Her eyes were focused completely on the pieces of the board.

"Doesn't that leave your king almost defenceless in the end?"

The two looked at Kin with raised brows. Kin pointed to Asura's Shogi pieces.

"Well, the defence looks good, sort of like is troops were defending a castle that was being invades, but being so close together leaves unlimited space, especially for an assassin like character, similar to how Shikamaru has his pieces going. I understand that's why sacrificing happens in this, but... Against this sort of set up, I think it's a very..., well it's not smart."

Shikmaru took a glance at the positions of Asuma's pieces and of his own. It was true, in his mind he had the battle plan of moving around to get the king trapped. As Kin put it, like an assassin breaking into a castle. He took a glance at Asuma and he had his mouth hung open.

"Do you play, Kin?" Shikamaru asked.

The girl just shook her head.

"No, but it's not hard to pick up. I just happened to notice that Asuma-sensei tends to take a more, defensive tactic, trying to keep the paces in the toughest formation. I understand why, it's probably a sub-conscious thing. If one has played against a person for so long, one would began to memorize the sort of..., unbreakable habits they hold. After losing to you enough times, he has but up his guard, hoping that he will be bale to hold against your attacks and then get you with your own guard down. Right?"

Asuma just sat there blinking. It was hard for him to hold on to his manhood as the small girl pretty much stepped on any hopes of him beating Shikamaru. He also began to question his own strategy for the game. _Do, do I really do that?_ He was speechless. Shikamaru just laughed.

"Maybe you should try and beat Kin before challenging me again Asuma-sensei." the boy teased.

"Heh, she maybe observant, but the side-lines are much different than battle."

For the rest of the day, Kin sat trying to perfect her own Shogi strategy. She soon realized that Asuma wasn't far from the truth. No matter what she tried to think up, she couldn't quite grasp the glories of winning.

_No matter how much fighting occurred, in the end there was always someone around to make us smile again._

Kin noticed Kakashi strolling in the streets of Konoha and she ran up to him shouting his name. The older man turned to see the young blond smiling and waving at him. His eye curved up as he nodded his head.

"Hello, Kin."

"Does this mean Sasuke-kun and Naru-kun are back as well?"

Kakashi closed his book and put it away before he continued.

"I don't think you should see them quite yet. We ran into some hot water and the two are recuperat-"

Kakashi didn't even finish his sentence before Kin was gone. He just shook his head and sighed.

"That girl is more of a handful than Naruto and Sasuke combined..."

But, he just shrugged it off and continued his book.

"It's Tsunade-sama's problem now."

Kin charged in the hospital doors with worry in her eyes. The nurse jumped as the sudden entrance caused a few jumps to her heart.

"Kin-chan! What's wrong?"

She questioned the new guest. Kin just ran over to the desk with a large smile on her face.

"Are Naru-kun and Sasuke-kun alright?"

"Yeah, they just need some banda-"

The young nurse was left flabbergasted as Kin ran off towards the eastern side of the hospital.

"Maybe Tsunade-sama needs to enter Naruto and Sasuke in the other end of the hospital?"

The young nurse sighed as she went back to her crossword puzzle.

After her fifth try, Kin finally found Naruto's room. The blond boy just laid in his bed in an awkward fashion. His arm and cheek had bandages over them, other than a couple bruises he seemed perfectly fine. She smiled as she walked over and pinched his nose with her fingers. It took a couple seconds but the strange snorting sound a dying duck would make erupted from his throat. His arm's flailed and his legs kicked. His bright blue eye's opened bigger than a shuriken. Kin couldn't help but laugh at his actions. Naruto noticed the girlish laugh and pouted at Kin's smiling face.

"Ki-chan, why do you have to be so mean?"

"I'm sorry, Naru-kun. But, that's what you get for not saying 'hi' when you return."

"I didn't have a choice! Kakashi-sensei made me come here. It wasn't even that bad!"

Kin pouted as she looked over the bandages on the boy, "What happened anyway Naru-kun?"

"Well, umm," he rubbed the back of his neck as his cheeks went pink, "I uh, accidentally ran off a cliff..."

Kin's eyes went wide at Naruto's words. Behind the snorting of her trying to conceal her laughter, concern was behind her orange eyes. Naruto just crossed his arm's and pouted.

"Alright, I'm going to see Sasuke-kun. Ramen's on me when you guys get out!"

Naruto's face lit up followed by complaining about the pain in his cheek.

Kin found Sasuke's room and walked up quietly to the glum looking boy. He didn't even flinch as she took a seat beside his bed.

"Please don't tell me you jumped off a cliff to?"

A quite scuff of amusement was heard from Sasuke as he turned to look at Kin.

"I jumped to save the baka."

Kin smiled at him in a thankful way. Sasuke's lips pulled up at one corner, leaving a half a smile.

"I'm a little surprised you weren't the one who threw him off."

Kin winked, teasing the boy. The more she looked, it was surprising he was kept in here. He seemed perfectly fine to her.

"Hn."

It was a few moments of thick silence before surprisingly, Sasuke spoke up.

"Why are you not scared to be around us?"

Kin looked over at the Uchiha with a raised brow.

"After what the priestess told you. How me or Naruto are going to be the one's to kill you."

"Why would I be scared? I trust you two with my life. Which means a lot more than just figuratively speaking now, heh."

She giggled and smiled at Sasuke as he just stared at her with a slightly confused look. The fact that she would still try and be so close scared him. He didn't trust himself, the more the days went on, the more he could see himself hurting her. The idea he finally came to hurt to think about. As he stared at her innocent smile, he couldn't believe that at any time in the future he would want to hurt her. He didn't know how anyone could want to hurt her.

_It's surprising really, how someone so warm wiggled her way so far into such a cold place like Sasuke's heart. But, from moments I watched afar, I knew that it was happening, the same way she managed to steal my own._


	4. Chapter 4

**Anime: Naruto**  
><strong>Pairing: ? X OC<strong>  
><strong>Summary: A short tale about back in the day when rouge ninja were just bad guys that the grown ups dealt with. A story about 3 friends with very different paths they must lead. Can they still be friends when all is said in done? Is forgiveness as easy as they say when the one person you love runs away with your heart<strong>**.****(No Sakura)**  
><strong>Author: Triggerspec<strong>  
><strong>OC: Kin Sasaki<strong>  
><strong>Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto or the characters. I also cannot take credit for the similarities to the plot. All credit goes to Masashi Kishimoto<strong>**. (I only take credit for Kin Sasaki)  
><em>Italics = narrations <em>**

* * *

><p><em>With an ever-growing shadow that cast over us, we pushed and pushed, fighting what seemed to be inevitable. But, even though it seemed impossible, we promised to protect the ones we cared about and we'd do any sort of thing to accomplish it.<em>

"According to our Intel, the thieves will be taking a forest path on land, or along the river, landing roughly around here," Kakashi pointed on the map his team was looking over. "So we are going to split into two balanced teams. I'll go alone and you three will be a team."

"What are you saying? That Sasuke needs all the help he can get?" Naruto spoke with a tilted head.

"No way, you're the hindrance." Sasuke shot back before turning to Kakashi, "I'm not up to your level yet, but clearly 3 to 1 is not fair. Why don't you take Naruto off my hands, subtract his skills from yours and we'll be even." Sasuke stated calmly.

Kin gazed at the two boys with an innocent look as they both had ugly expressions. Naruto's is burning anger, Sasuke's of annoyed arrogance.

"You've got to be kidding me? Why the hell would you subtract my skills?"

"Because you have nothing to add."

"Why don't I go alone and Kakashi can deal with you guys. Clearly having you two near each other would take at least Jounin level to get anything done. I don't mind."

"What?" The two boys shouted at the blond who was just stating a proven fact.

Kakashi closed his eye and smacked the bamboo stick he held to the ground. The stick let out a current of electricity zapping all three Genin.

"Alright, pay close attention. I'll watch the pier, you three take the forest. If you run into them, notify me immediately. Our mission is to retrieve the golden stature and we must proceed with the utmost caution. If the thieves appear on my end I will notify you with this. When the stick is tossed in the air, it will release one thunderbolt. Once verified proceed to the location at once. And remember, you are not to act alone!"

The three Genin sat in the tree tops, watching the pathway, waiting for someone to cross. It was a matter of under a couple of hours when the group of thieves were seen walking toward them. They watched carefully, waiting for a good moment to strike. One of the men walked to close to the edge and the horse he lead began to slide down the cliff side. While the leader used some sort of something to grasp the horse neck, both Naruto and Sasuke straightened up, getting ready to pounce. With the shouting of the group, it was rather obvious that they had what we wanted and it was in that box on the horse. Kin watched in amazement as both boys looked at each other, scuffed and charged in perfect symmetry. Kin gasped as Naruto and Sasuke squirmed around, trying to take the treasure. The boss of the thieves released his strange web thing.

"I guess I'll notify Kakashi-sensei..." Kin sighed as she pulled the bamboo stick off her back, setting it on the branch. She watched in panic as the lightning bolt was shot out of the air by the strange blue web like substance. The group of men turned to Kin and she tried to escape. As she tried to jump away a chain caught her arm and pulled her back down to the ground. With a hard thunk she fell, her body leaving a dent in the earth. The bandits bound Kin up as the fall kept her dazed and confused.

"Pursuers from Konoha, eh?" Kin scowled as his filthy finger tapped on her head band, "Were those two the only ones with you?"

Kin just stared straight ahead, which got her a slap to the face and finger's forcing her to look the boss in the eyes.

"There must be others, why else would you try and set out a signal."

Kin looked over at the ball the bolt was in-caged in. This cause the boss to feel slightly empowered from the disappointed look of the blond. He put out his hand and a small metal tube pushed out from his wrist. From the tube leaked out a murky blue/grey substance. Kin couldn't help but make a disgusted face.

"I'm a natural born thief, rotten to the very core. So, as you can see, even my chakra is foul. Those two escaped down river. We'll split up and concentrate our search along the river until we find them and get back our treasure."

"What about her?" a henchman asked.

"We can use her as a hostage. Bring her with us.

_Things never really go as planned. It almost seemed to be a law in the ninja world lately. It's dangerous to deal with a hostage situation, but sometimes, you need to do things yourself._

"I can't believe they stole something as stupid as that..."

Naruto said between deep breaths, as Sasuke held up the golden bear with a trout in it's mouth.

"The thunderbolt..." Sasuke brought up.

"What?"

"The thunderbolt never went off, did it?"

"No."

"Maybe Kin never had the chance..."

"What? Ki-chan got captured!"

Naruto stood up, only to be held down. He looked to see Sasuke sit up with his movements. In between them was a ball of strange substance, holding together their hands.

"What's going on?"

"We're stuck together."

The two boy's just turned to each other in shock. In sync they both turned and pulled with all of their strength. The strange ball stretched, but it wouldn't even come close to snapping. The two tried and they tried, doing anything they thought would shatter or snap the goop that held them together. Nothing worked, they were stuck.

"Kin...," Naruto stood up with a sour expression, "While we're like this, Ki-chan could be..."

He took off running, dragging Sasuke behind him.

"Naruto, you baka!"

"I'm coming to save you, Ki-chan! Don't worry!"

"Wait, you fool!"

Naruto was clearly to stubborn to listen so Sasuke pulled himself around and kicked Naruto's feet from underneath. Naruto fell on Sasuke, clenching on the Uchiha's collar.

"What the hell are you doing, Sasuke! Don't you care what happens to Ki-chan?"

"More than you ever would! And we're going to save her, but being like this we can't do anything!"

"We are going to save her despite that! That's what friends do...! I- I don't want to be some scum who doesn't give a damn about his friends!"

"Then joining up with Kakashi is the right move! It'll increase Kin's chances of survival!"

"Don't you dare talk about her chance of survival! It just depends how much we want to save her! We can't let Ki-chan die over something this stupid!"

Naruto grabbed the golden bear and held it in the air.

"No, Naruto! Stop!"

Naruto brought the bear down, slamming on the strange ball that encased their hands. Strike after strike, Naruto used all his strength trying to beat it. Sasuke watched his outrage. Inside, he didn't feel much different. But, unlike the blond he watched, he had the composer to stay calm in such a situation.

"You know, a man who can't take his mission seriously is also scum."

This caused Naruto to freeze.

Kakashi stood, looking at the rather beaten up statue.

"I guess it can be melted down and re-cast. I hope."

Kin stood looking at the two boys. Her hand covered her mouth as her eyes curved up in a smiling way. Small snickers and giggles could be heard from behind the palm. Naruto pouted in embarrassment and Sasuke glared at the girl.

"Isn't that so cute! You two are getting aloong~!" Kin teased.

"Shut up." Sasuke threatened.

"It can't be helped. Like the boss said, it'll wear off in two or three days."

"Urgh! I can't deal with him that long!"

The two boys said in sync as they began to try and pry off the strange chakra once again.


	5. Chapter 5

**Anime: Naruto**  
><strong>Pairing: ? X OC<strong>  
><strong>Summary: A short tale about back in the day when rouge ninja were just bad guys that the grown ups dealt with. A story about 3 friends with very different paths they must lead. Can they still be friends when all is said in done? Is forgiveness as easy as they say when the one person you love runs away with your heart<strong>**.****(No Sakura)**  
><strong>Author: Triggerspec<strong>  
><strong>OC: Kin Sasaki<strong>  
><strong>Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto or the characters. I also cannot take credit for the similarities to the plot. All credit goes to Masashi Kishimoto<strong>**. (I only take credit for Kin Sasaki)  
><em>Italics = narrations<br>_A/N: Alright, this is the final chapter to this loverly little story. **

* * *

><p><em>Sometimes, things happen that you would never expect, at least not while they're in motion. It may take a while but the more you think about it, the more the signs are quite obvious. It would take years, but eventually I would come to understand her thoughts. And even though I'm against her actions, I could never bring myself to stop her...,<em>

The air was unbelievably cold once the sun had ducked behind the horizon. Kin and Naruto sat at Ichiraku's stand, slurping down some ramen. Even though the day seemed to be finishing as normal, Naruto worried about his comrades. Ever since the day that man with the Sharingan attacked the village and went after him, both his comrades have been acting out of place.

"It's getting late, we should get some sleep, Naru-kun."

"Right," the two dropped some change on the counter, "I'll walk you home."

"No thanks. The moon is bright, I want to take a small detour."

Naruto frowned, at the rejection, but soon began to smile. He knew Kin was growing more independent by the day and he noticed how she had grown in strength at such a rate.

"Alright. I'll see you tomorrow Ki-chan, dattebayo!"

Kin walked up to Naruto and kissed him on the cheek, "Good night, Naru-kun."

The girl turned and vanished into the night, leaving Naruto to stand in the cold breeze. He watched as her clothes and hair danced in the wind before disappearing like a dream. The heat in his cheeks got to him and he began to blush madly. Smiling like a fool and holding his own face, Naruto danced his way home.

"Finally a kiss that doesn't involve that baka Sasuke, dattebayo!"

_Because, in all of the years that we have grown up together, she had never once turned against my ways. Even if no one else could see what I saw, no, what we both saw, she would loyally follow us. Even if they weren't right in her eyes, she trusted our choices. Somehow, deep inside, I think she knew what was best for us all...,_

Kin walked behind Sasuke with a silent step. Her orange eyes that shimmered in the night light, watched the movements in his step and the rigid tension in his shoulder's. In sync, they both stopped their movements, letting the cold breeze dance in their hair.

"Why are you following me, Kin?"

"I'm not. I'm simply taking my own path that so happens to be starting off the same way as yours."

Sasuke turned to look at the girl behind him. She had that same innocent smile that was always on her face, it was if she didn't know any other facial expression.

"You're not going to stop me?"

"I may not believe what you are leaving for is right, and I may think that you are a complete fool for doing so. You are my comrade and a dear friend, I have to trust you, if I didn't we wouldn't be able to make it this far."

Sasuke smiled as he turned around.

"Does this mean you are leaving as well?"

Kin nodded with confidence, though inside she felt absolute fear. Her motives, though different, were only as sinister as what Sasuke was leaving to do.

"May I walk you to your destination Sasuke-kun?"

"Hn."

The two walked beside one another. Even though they felt rivalled with one another they looked at one another with equal standing eyes.

"You never struck me as a betraying type Kin."

"Well, there is a lot you don't know about me Sasuke-kun. Like, I have my own Bloodline Limit. I was not born in Konohagakure and I'm not originally blond."

Sasuke just turned his head to look at her with a bewildered gaze. Kin laughed at the last part of her sentence. Up ahead stood 4 strange ninja. They glared down at the two ninja with an unwavering stare. Kin looked up, noticing from their attire that they were linked with Orochimaru.

"I guess this is good-bye."

It caused a twist in Sasuke's stomach as he spoke those words. Kin nodded, her heart feeling rather heavy.

"If it was you stopping me, I probably would stay."

"I know, that's why I couldn't do it. Plus, this won't be the end, only the beginning. I wish we wouldn't but we will see each other once again."

It pained Sasuke to hear such words. It was the one thing he hopped for, to be able to see her again. He didn't want to leave her behind, he had grown much to fond of the smile she always wore, and the loyalty she followed both him and Naruto by.

"You would leave even if I stayed wouldn't you?"

Kin just nodded. Sasuke shimmered away, standing in front of the group of Sound ninja. As they took off, he looked back one last time, only Kin had disappeared as well.

_Naruto sat on the ground as Konohamaru, Udon and Mogei sat around, interviewing the new hero of Konohagakure. By the end of Naruto's story, Mogei was in tears and Konohamaru and Udon used all of their might to suck back their sobs._

_"Why didn't you bring her back Naruto-nii-san?" Konohamaru questioned._

_Naruto just stared at the ground with a small smile on his lips, but it was obvious the hurt in his eyes._

_"Because, I knew that bringing her back would be the same to her as it was for me when she left. She always followed me and Sasuke, so I had to trust her as she did me."_

_His hand went subconsciously to the pocket of his jacket. Which inside held a letter written in a writing Naruto could never forget and signed by a name that he could only whisper in his dreams._

_"What about that priestess's predictions?" the small girl of the group looked up with teary eyes._

_"It's been a year since I have seen her. And I only got to see her once after she left and she was alive and well, and unbelievably powerful."_

_"So where is she now?" Udon question lastly._

_Naruto looked up into the sky, holding back the tears._

_"I don't hold the answer to that question. For that you have to ask Sasuke, because only he knows the real ending of the story."_


End file.
